Children love to sing

My First Hymn Book, compiled by Clare Simpson and published by Paraclete Press (www.paracletepress.com)
is full of colorful drawings of children singing together. Some are dancing, some play trumpet or guitar or drums. Some are running or jumping or doing cartwheels throughout the book and all seem to be having a wonderful time together.

This 5 ½ x 7" book is the right size for small hands to hold and it includes the words of 11 well-known hymns that children may know and will enjoy singing from their own hymn book. Parents and siblings and friends can help them with the tunes if they aren’t quite sure how it goes.

Among the hymns are "Jesus Loves Me," "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "This is My Father’s World," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," and "He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands."

Author Clare Simpson is an editor and music educator at Paraclete Press in Massachusetts. The illustrators are part of Paraclete’s in-house team and their design and artistry complement the words and actions on every page.

If you are starting to look for Christmas gifts or birthday gifts or any gift for a child, this book will quickly become one of their favorites, I’m sure.

—Lois Sibley

Faith, Tradition, and Change

Ten authors, an editor, and countless stories, reports, interviews, charts, photos of churches and bishops—it’s all here in This Far by Faith, Tradition and Change in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, recently published by Penn State University Press.

It begins with a helpful introduction by David Contosta, a history professor who is editor of this volume as well as author of the last chapter. He explains briefly what each author is reporting on: the founding of the colonial church; the Revolutionary War years; and the church’s identity, spirituality, and organization in early Pennslvania. Our story continues with reports of new growth and new challenges in the 1820–40s; the church in the city; the gilded age and progressive eras, up until about 1910; and the church in prosperity, the Depression, and First and Second World Wars. Then we read of the church on wheels; problems of social justice and the counterculture; and lastly, a chapter called A Perfect Storm, bringing the history up to 2010.

The last few chapters are especially interesting because we who read about it now were involved in the pros and cons of some of the issues: civil rights, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the ordination of women, the church and sexuality, divisions and schisms, charts with reports on the ups and downs of membership and money, General Convention meeting in our city in 1997, and the 200^th anniversary celebration of the Diocese of Pennsylvania in 1984.

We remember many of the names, what they stood for, how they helped us, and sometimes stirred us up. First of all, we appreciate and are thankful for Bishop William White, who in 1784 "coaxed the Diocese of Pennsylvania into being," and who, at Christ Church, Philadelphia, "presided over the birth of the national church in 1789."

And in our own day, who can forget Bishop DeWitt, Paul Washington, David Gracie, Bishop Ogilby, Bishops Bartlett, Turner, and Bennison. And so many others over the years, faithful members of the Standing Committee, various committee members, our vestry members, and friends in the pews with us. Thanks be to God for all of them.

There were many challenges and there will continue to be in future. But it’s good to know and remember our "more than two-century history" as we continue on our way....Add a copy of this important book to your collection on church history.

—Lois Sibley

Haiku

Thomas in his hand
Imagination on track
All comes together












---Lois Sibley

Photo by Andi; Haiku by Lois.
Andi blogs at awrungsponge with photos, poetry, and reviews of children's books.

Thank you, Benedict...

Way back in the fifth century, a monk named Benedict developed guidelines for his monastic community and The Rule of Benedict has been in use ever since. Benedict offered a way of listening to God in a safe, faith-filled community where like-minded believers may learn to practice the disciplines of prayer, healthy relationships, and good works. Over the years, many have followed Benedict’s suggestions.

Here comes Crafting a Rule of Life by Stephen A. Macchia, published by InterVarsity Press (ivpress.com), and offering a contemporary approach, adapting St. Benedict’s Rule to our cultural situations today. This material could be used personally or in a group and it includes workbook pages so readers may begin to compose their own rule as they study how to do it.

Macchia suggests that a rule is like a trellis that supports and guides a plant as it grows. A rule could help us as we grow into the plants/people God wants us to be. Most of us probably don’t realize that we have a rule we live by without knowing it as our rule. It consists of what we do each day—our personal schedule. Maybe it is haphazard, thrown together by the circumstances of our lives. But maybe, suggests Macchia, it is time to give up that circumstantial rule and take time to sit down and prayerfully write a new personal rule, one that "more closely matches the heartbeat of God."

His book has three parts and the key words in the titles are: framing, forming, and fulfilling (Your Personal Rule of Life). In the framing section he looks at roles, gifts, desires, vision, and mission. Each chapter includes a guiding principle, a biblical reflection, historical insight, some questions to answer as we think of what might be a part of our rule, some prayer requests, and ideas for group discussion.

Part Two, Forming...includes chapters on time, trust, temple, treasure, and talent and concludes with a chart for readers to fill in as they are "weaving together" their personal rule of life.

Part Three, Fulfilling Your Personal Rule of Life, considers commitment to the Body of Christ and the context of a spiritual community. Macchia offers resources including information on communities who are using a communal rule of life now, a suggested reading list on some in church history who lived in a communal situation, and the examples of four individuals who have recently been crafting their own rule of life. Among the latter are a college student, a young mom, a ministry leader, and a business person. Here are many ideas to consider as we follow Benedict’s way but with our own Rule of Life.

—Lois Sibley

Four From Morehouse

Probably the most interesting and immediately helpful facts for those who are learning to blog or use other digital media, as I am, will be found in Click 2 Save, the Digital Ministry Bible by Elizabeth Drescher & Keith Anderson. The Glossary in the back is one of the most helpful charts I’ve seen lately. But there is practical and useful info on every page. The authors note that the world is now a very different place than it was before being reshaped by all the new social media around us. What does that mean for you and your church? And how will you and your church involve yourselves in these new opportunities as we continue to "tell the old, old story?" Surely, you will want to! This book will help you begin. 　

Cooking for a Healthy Church provides easy and nutritious recipes collected by members of The Episcopal Church Medical Trust. Besides the recipes, they include nutritional guidelines, stories, and prayers. To balance carbohydrates, fats, and protein, each recipe notes the grams and calories in each dish, as well as total calories. They suggest that we should take in 40 percent of our calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from protein, and 30 percent from fat. Recipes are listed in separate chapters on breakfast, lunch, appetizers, side dishes, dinner, desserts, coffee hour, and potluck. Cinnamon-Baked Squash sounds good, or how about Sweet Potato Soup? Or Blueberry Banana Muffins? Yum... 　

 In Family Theology, Finding God in Very Human Relationships, Carol J. Gallagher is bringing together Bible stories with stories of everyday people and their families. She calls it an "invitation to tears and laughter, to storytelling and self-revelation." Gallagher is a priest who has served as a bishop and as a teacher in seminaries. She is also a Native-American woman who loves and lives in her Cherokee tradition alongside her belief in the Triune God. She hopes her book will encourage readers to "wrestle with the Scriptures," and "invite the Creator within."
　

For some reason, I hadn’t thought of the priesthood as a craft, but Barney Hawkins, priest and seminary professor, calls us to reflect on the craft of priesthood, and the etiquette and ethics that inform that craft. His book is called Episcopal Etiquette & Ethics, Living the Craft of Priesthood in the Episcopal Church. As Hawkins thinks over his years as priest and its ups and downs, he is often quotable. I will try to restrain myself and not quote him but I do hope that every priest and his/her spouse will take time to read this book. You will be glad you did.
　

—Lois Sibley
　

Brother Cadfael Calls Me Away...

Brother Cadfael is tempting me to read again the 20 mysteries by amazing author Ellis Peters. I was caught by a beautiful book called The Benediction of Brother Cadfael. It’s not new but is introductory to Peters’ series on Brother Cadfael and his involvement in mysteries in and around the abbey and the town of Shrewsbury in the twelfth century. It includes the first two books in the series but between them is a wonderful chapter with photos and the history of "Cadfael Country," in Shropshire and along the border with Wales. I was caught, couldn’t resist for awhile. But I will put it aside as a treat for other moments....

The book I really want to review today is The Food and Feasts of Jesus by Douglas E. Neel and Joel A. Pugh and published by Rowman & Littlefield (www.rowman.com). These authors love to cook, though one is a CPA and one is an Episcopal priest. They believe "there is much to be gained by studying the connections between food, culture, and history."

Many of the meals described in the gospels are plain and simple, though some were banquets and feasts. Jesus ate often with his disciples, and sometimes with local authorities or sometimes with the ordinary people of Galilee. Those meals included discussions, even arguments. "Food and feasting were important to Jews, Christians, Romans, Greeks, and everyone else of the first century," write Neel and Pugh. They claim that "in studying food and customs, we may gain historical, cultural, and theological insight."

Food and feasting were times of community in those days, as they are today. Common meals meant community for all who attended. Think of the Eucharist and our weekly attending, listening, sharing, praying, receiving the bread and wine together. Is that community? I think so.

Chapter 2 tells us of first-century ingredients and cooking methods. The authors list foods that were available, including grains and legumes; vegetables; fruits; nuts; meat, poultry, game and fish; milk products; and herbs, spices and condiments. Wines and vinegars were used, as well as honey, "the primary sweetener in the ancient world." Salt was common, and olive oil the fat that was used. Meat was a luxury and a blessing. Diet consisted mostly of whole grains and legumes, and bread was served at every meal probably, with fruits and vegetables in season.

Chapters that follow begin with a few Scripture verses describing one of the meals or feasts common at the time. Each then tells how to plan that kind of meal with a menu and recipes so that readers may try it on their own. Hmmm, just reading it makes me hungry.

Chapter 8 has a supplement offering directions for a first-century Passover feast for those who would like to try that. In the final chapter, Neel and Pugh tell how they spent years making wine, cheese, and breads; how they studied farming and cooking; how they held first-century banquets and Passover feasts for family and friends. Now they encourage readers to join the feast, create their own first-century feast. Invite friends, get neighbors and church groups involved. "Your feast doesn’t have to be fancy." It just needs to be "an offering of generosity and hospitality."

---Lois Sibley

Time to Read a Classic...Again

If I asked you "which book has been published more and read more widely than any other, except for the Bible," would you know the answer? That book is called The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis. A new selection in Paraclete's GIANTS series (www.paracletepress.com ($29.99), this edition, titled The Complete Imitation of  Christ includes translation and commentary by Fr. John-Julian, OJN, founder of the Order of Julian of Norwich and author of another in the GIANTS series, the one on Julian, of course.

Thomas Kempis (1380–1471), as Fr. John-Julian prefers to call him, was a medieval monk who founded several monasteries in Europe and wrote 31 books, treatises and articles, as well as several biographies.

Fr. John-Julian’s introduction to this 456-page paperback is very informative as he describes how Kempis’s Imitation began and grew. He notes that as early as 1410—1415 pieces and copies of the writings of various monks, began to come together and were shared from one monastery to another. There were many years of controversy over who wrote which part of The Imitation, but by 1441, the first verified autograph manuscript, was signed as "by the hand of Thomas Kempis," a monk of Mount St. Agnes monastery near Zwolle in the Netherlands..

Fr. John-Julian’s translation is based on the first printed edition (1471) and he compared it with the 1441 edition but made few corrections. On each left-hand page of each chapter, he provides interesting comments and biblical references, which I found very helpful to have beside the poetic text on the right-hand page. He gives detailed endnotes on each chapter and a full bibliography, as well as a time line of the medieval church in Europe, from 1260–1471. He also includes a page on how "Notable Readers of The Imitation" responded to it.

The main body of the text is divided into four books, each book having several chapters. I like best the chapters in the fourth book, beginning with "Of Christ Speaking Inwardly to the Faithful Soul." There are imagined speeches and conversations between God and the soul, just as we might imagine today. I can definitely see why so many people like to keep this book by their beds, and often read a few pages before they go to sleep. I think I will try it, too.

Lois Sibley